Xander's Cross, Oregon: a small town ringed with forbidding mountains and misty forest. The sky may be gray, but the townspeople are welcoming to people of all kinds...and things that are not quite human as well. Here the native shifters, aliens, werewolves, and witches live in peace. They have yet to find out the new business owners encroaching on the land are also vampires.
The peace has been broken by murder, however, and things in Xander's Cross are about to become quite a bit darker.
Welcome to your new home.
is it better to out-monster the monster or to be quietly devoured?
August 20, 2020
The mayor, Rowan Starkwood, was found dead less than a mile from his home. Rumors say his body was mutilated, but the state of the body has not yet been released to the public.
Post by Paige Anderson on May 2, 2021 1:23:00 GMT -5
PAIGE:
Paige either had ADHD, had been possessed by a jumping bean, or was clearly excited as she sat in the clinic waiting room chair that morning. She was the latter, as Dr. Hunt had told her she had a week at max to take it easy for her hip. Her collar bone would need some physical therapy but she was fine with that, it was the light activity she wasn’t okay with. But, after her mothers hounding and Hunt’s instructions, she’d done as she was told and done the light activity. And today? Today was the day she’d been dreaming about.
She’d get cleared, and then Paige and Louis were hitting the road for Portland, doing a twin weekend getaway as their monthly trip. She hadn’t been on one in over a year since the last time she was home. She needed this night, needed the good news. Mentally she desperately needed it as it was a sense of normality she’d missed and in her eyes, needed to put her broken life back together.
The nurse called her back, and Paige hopped up, practically bouncing as she followed after Emilia. They went through the usual of taking her weight and temp, and then was left alone in the room. She knew Hunt was there, his scent was all over the place, slightly faint but she could hear him moving around. She kicked her legs as she sat on the cushioned exam bed, letting them dangle over the side. She was dressed in a pair of women’s carhartts, her work boots, and soft t-shirt. Having to go work at the family store for a few hours after her appointment before her parents were setting her and Louis free. Her hair was up in a ponytail, the long blonde strands fell over one of her shoulders while she waited for Hunt to show up. Wondering how the appointment would go today considering what had happened last week at the diner.
Friends, that’s all I’m asking for here. Well… time to see if Hunt would take her up on that offer, or if she would need to continue to be a nosy, thorn in his side.
CAL: Yeah, there were probably some things that he shouldn’t have said that night...as well as the following during his usual dinner with Blake. That man had been relentless, and he was holding back delicious steak from him- of course he was going to tell him whatever the hell he wanted. Apparently, however, it got a little out of hand.
So, then, now what?
Paige was bound to be there at any moment, and his fellow doctor thought that there was something going on between him and the blonde. Sure, he could tell him the truth...which was that he lied, but Blake would just start up all of his bullshit again and Cal was too tired to deal with it. That only left one choice, if Blake wrapped up his latest appointment before the wolf could get Paige in and then out of the clinic. This was ridiculous, in all honesty.
Emilia was letting him know that Paige was waiting for him, he nodded his thanks before rushing towards the exam room. From what he could hear down the hall, Blake was still busy. Snatching up Anderson’s chart, he swiftly opened the door, stepped in, and shut it behind him.
Right, because that hadn’t looked weird.
When he turned to face her, he held back a sigh. On top of the Blake situation, he knew what she was here for and what she was expecting to hear, and Cal only hoped that he had good news for her. And, naturally, that depended upon her and whether she listened to his instructions or not.
”Well, hello again, Anderson. How’ve you been feeling?” he asked, quickly glancing over the newly written vitals on her chart. Those, at least, looked good.
PAIGE:
Paige’s blonde head lifted the moment Cal was outside her door, and she watched as he made his swift entrance. She arched a brow curiously at him, as it almost looked like he was evading someone and had darted right in. What was that about?
“Preeeeeeeetty good.” She drew out. A small smile appeared on her face as she kicked her legs back and forth from where they dangled. She didn’t have much to report on, she’d done as she was told. “If we’re being honest though Hunt, I’ve been feeling impatient.” The corner of her mouth curled up more. “This week has felt like a century.” She said with an over dramatic sigh. But, it was Friday, and if she got good news, it would be a Friyay! And life could start to look like normal again. Or as normal as they could be.
She studied Hunt then, idly curious about how he was doing considering the last time they saw each other. “How are you doing?” She asked, unable to stop herself.
Oh, he had no doubt that she'd be able to sense something was a bit off. Even if he had purposely tried to hide it, as a wolf, she would just know. Cal didn't try to pretend, but he wasn't going to be blatantly obvious about it either.
When she said she was feeling "pretty good", he nodded with a light smile. "Well, that's good to hear," he murmured, drawing his attention from the file over to her. As she continued to talk (basically complain, really), he chuckled lowly. "And yet, you somehow survived. Lookit that, eh?" A week was nothing, but it seemed to be forever for Paige Anderson.
'How are you doing?'
Cal nearly rolled his eyes at that. "I've been absolutely perfect," he told her. Y'know, not needing any other friends or company or what have you, is what he was really saying, and she would probably know it.
Slipping that pen behind his ear like always, he made his way over to check out her injuries. "Has there been any major pain here-" Cal asked as he checked out her collarbone. "Or your hip?" Last time, it was mostly mild and achy, so he was assuming it was only better. Unless she didn't truly heed his word and hadn't taken it easy.
Post by Paige Anderson on Jul 14, 2021 13:24:46 GMT -5
Paige playfully rolled her eyes as Cal said she’d survived. She had, and it had felt like torture. Every painstaking moment of it. Her attention was on him now though, and she noted the way he rolled his eyes and his use of tone to tell her he’d been fine. Mmmmhmmmmm… She pursed her lips, and for once kept her mouth shut. She needed to be on his good side to get cleared, and that meant not pointing out he needed more friends or else he’d look like a loser and no one wanted to look like a loser. Especially someone with Cal’s looks.
She watched him come over, forcing herself to relax as he came into her space. They’d certainly been in each other’s space at the diner, but right now it felt...different. At the diner there had been a thick tension between the two of them as they’d essentially laid each other, or more like Paige had forced them too, bear in the vulnerability department.
She tried to keep her posture casual, and not let her body get tense as it remembered what being so close to him did. She could feel the goosebumps start to rise on her arms however as he checked on her collarbone, and his scent flooded her nose. “Nope, aside from the skateboard ride to dinner I’ve been good. And if you don’t believe me, call my mother.” She tilted her head back slightly to look at him, a small challenge in her eye. If he’d told her a week and she could finally be free to do some harder activity, then Paige was going to do what was needed to get better. She knew she had to, to get back to the life she’d had, and she wasn’t going to ruin that chance on purpose. Even if following the rules killed her.